In the few weeks following the tournament, Seto struggled to get anything done. His loss to Yugi once more set him on a downward spiral. Mokuba worked hard to keep him focused on his other goals, but he just wanted to do nothing. He tried to work on his plans for expanding KaibaLand parks overseas, but he could not bring himself to feel any sort of excitement for the project. He spent most of his time trying to read, or taking naps. His sleep schedule had gotten severely skewed since he had started the tournament plans, since that woman in the museum had given him the God Card. Every time he thought about it and how it had gotten away from him, he felt himself slip just a little further down the spiral. He was thankful that most of the dreams had stopped. He was also thankful for the drugs that made him sleep so deeply he would not remember them if they had continued. Dreams of deserts and blue eyes and dragons had haunted him, especially after his battle with that woman. She had been so sure of herself and her predictions, but she knew nothing, he thought, about how one makes their own destiny. The girl he had seen in the vision though intrigued him almost as much as his 'greeneyedasian'. She haunted his dreams as well. There were times she was waiting for him in the desert dreams, other times he saw her in the lobby of an office building as he walked with Pegasus. He saw her there now even when he was awake. He did not know if it was a true memory of the meeting Yugi said they had, or if it was a reconstruction based on the dream and the insistence of others of the meeting's occurrence. Regardless, he felt as if he saw her every time he closed his eyes.

When he was not reading or napping, he spent his time randomly searching for things on the internet. He would browse his phone, usually looking at the pictures she had posted. The dichotomy of her photos continued to strike him; in one photo she looked happy and joyful, while in the next her sadness, anger, and fear colored the image. He felt connected somehow to that pain, that he understood how she felt, because he had felt the same. He did not feel much happiness anymore, but the times he did were precious to him. Similarly, her photos now tended to the dark, to the anger, to the pain. The frequency of photos had also decreased, and the ones that were posted were of a decidedly different nature. Her selfies looked to be sexier, her makeup was darker, heavier, more rebellious and her clothes were more form-fitting and skimpier. Her friends no longer appeared in any of the images. It was just her. But despite everything, Seto felt she looked afraid. Everything seemed forced, except for the fear or anger in her eyes, which varied from image to image. The more he looked at what she shared, the more he realized that Yugi had been right when he came to ask for help. She was in trouble, and Seto felt his rage turn inward again as he berated himself for turning his back on him, and on her.

To ease his mind some, he began looking at random things on the internet. In his meanderings, he stumbled across new photograph of Yugi's sister. It was not on her usual social media pages. He would have seen it sooner if it had been. She was also in quite the compromising position. From a purely technical standpoint, Seto thought the picture was quite masterful, but the fear evident on her face struck him as wrong. His curiosity got the better of him as he hunted down the photo's origin. His search led him to a clearinghouse of images and videos of her, all in similar or even more explicit poses. Some of the videos showed her being abused, raped, tortured. Seto felt his blood run cold as he watched, but he could not turn away. Each video, each photo, compressed his unease into a ball of anger. A new video popped up on the website as he explored the depth of her abuse. This one was live and in progress.

He watched briefly as a group of young man forced her into various acts, and the anger within burned for direction and release. He wanted to protect her. He had no reason to protect her, but he felt the urge to kill everyone who had touched her without her consent. He threw his phone across the room with a yell before he started pacing. His mind raced with possibilities and potential actions. He retrieved his phone and shut off the video. He could not stand to watch more. His anger propelled him out of the funk that had trapped him as he quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and the one t-shirt he owned. On his way to the garage, he stopped in to see Mokuba. His brother was still sleeping, but the clock showed that he would be up soon. Seto shook the younger boy awake.

"What time is it?" Mokuba asked sleepily.

"It's almost time to get up."

"What are you doing? Let me sleep more." Mokuba said as he turned over and pulled the blanket back to his chin.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going on a quick trip. I should be back tomorrow, alright?" He brushed his brother's hair. It was thick and soft like his own, but much more coarse, which made it difficult to control. Mokuba grunted his understanding. As Seto left, he turned to look as his brother again before closing the door.

"Seto? Where are you going?"

"America. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Why?"

'Why?' indeed. Seto had not quite worked out why he was doing what he was doing. He just felt the urge to act.

"I've got something I need to go pick up."

"Ok. Say Hi to Umi for me if you see her."

Seto froze at the mention of her name, wondering how Mokuba knew of his plans. He shook the thought from his head as he pulled the door shut behind him. Mokuba had met her before, he reminded himself, and she's probably the only person he knows in America.

He made his way to the garage and grabbed the keys to a nondescript sedan. He still had not worked out all of the details in his head as he tore out of the driveway and down the road.

Seto pulled up in front of the game shop that doubled as Yugi's house. He killed the engine and sat in the car for a long moment. The sun had risen brightly on the Friday morning, but all Seto saw was fiery rage at what was happening to his 'greeneyesasian'. He harrumphed as he wondered just when he had started thinking of her as his. He looked at the building, imagining Yugi getting ready for school and questioning his own reasons for being there. Part of him complained that he was wasting precious time that would be better spent moving toward ending her suffering. Another part of him demanded that he tell her brother what was going on. He sat drumming on the steering wheel indecisively before he got out of the car.

The shop door was locked. It was too early for customers and the owners were still preparing for the day. He rang the buzzer that was wired near the door. He pressed the button incessantly, demanding attention.

"If no one answers, I'm just going to leave and do this myself." he muttered. A few seconds later, the light to the shop switched on and Yugi appeared through the glass door. Yugi stopped behind the counter when he saw Seto. He opened the door warily.

"Kaiba? What are you doing here?"

"Come with me." Seto's voice was terse.

"What? Where? I have school."

Seto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Skip. We have to go."

"Not until you tell me why."

Seto crossed his arms as he glared at the shorter teen.

"Fine. It's about your sister." He pulled out his phone and quickly found the most recent video of her. "This video was live about three hours ago." He handed the phone to Yugi. "That's her, isn't it?" Yugi's eyes grew wide and then narrowed in anger before he looked away disgusted.

"I knew something wasn't right with that guy." Yugi murmured before looking up at Kaiba with grim determination. "We're going to go get her, right?"

Seto nodded as he put the phone back into his pocket. Yugi pushed passed him and slid into the passenger seat.

"How did you find out about that video?" Yugi asked, his arms crossed over his chest, the Millennium Puzzle lying coldly against his skin.

"I stumbled across it. I also found an entire section dedicated to her on a porn site that specializes in barely and not-quite legal girls. I stumbled across that too." he added quickly as Yugi looked at him questioningly.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long as that site about her been up?" Yugi's voice was ice.

"I didn't look, but there was a trove of images and videos. I didn't watch them; I just skimmed through." Seto felt color rush to his cheeks as he tried to avoid any questions Yugi might raise about why he had found porn starring his sister. Yugi looked at him.

"Yeah, well, I guess my sister wouldn't be enough to turn your head." But Yugi knew the truth. He had seen how Seto had not been able to tear his gaze away from her. The color in Seto's cheeks deepened, and Yugi smiled.

"Anyway, are we going or not?" Yugi asked as Seto started the car and tore off into the early morning.

They were in the air within two hours and Yugi sat uncomfortably on the private jet once more. He watched his rival as he sat at a table scribbling on some paper. The elder Kaiba seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and handily ignored Yugi.

"What are we going to do, Partner?" the Pharaoh's spirit whispered from within him. Yugi shook his head.

"Bring Umi home. Like we should have done months ago."

"I mean about the ones who are doing this to her." Yugi could feel the darker nature of the Pharaoh seeping into his mind. His anger only fed the darkness. He was on the verge of blacking out and letting the Pharaoh's most violent tendencies spring forth.

"We are going to hurt them." He told the spirit. "They will pay." He felt the spirit shimmer in agreement. The Pharaoh had held himself in check and had grown far more aware of the need to not hurt others simply because they have wronged you. But when it came to Umi, Yugi wanted vengeance and restitution for her. He did not care who got hurt getting it.

"Hi, I'm calling about the doll you have for sale?" He overheard Seto say. He walked over to where the elder Kaiba was sitting and looked at the computer screen embedded in the table. An advertisement for a doll was pulled up. The doll was described as a beautiful Japanese doll in a classical style but with unique green eyes. The description sounded familiar.

"Yes, I see. That sounds good." Seto looked at Yugi next to him. "And how much are you asking?" he asked the person on the other end of the phone. "Alright. That will work. Yeah. I'll be in town in a couple of hours. Is this a good number to call when I have the hotel info?" He nodded and hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Yugi asked.

"I think I found her. This ad seems to describe her, doesn't it?" Yugi looked more closely at the advertisement.

"Yeah, but it's for a doll."

"Code word for people who deal in underage girls. It is illegal, after all."

"I see."

"I set up an appointment with her. With any luck, we can get her out without too much trouble."

"You anticipate trouble?"

"I always do." Seto walked around the table and took a seat on the small couch. A flight attendant brought him a drink, which he took without any thanks. The beautiful woman smiled at Yugi as she offered him a drink as well.

"Thank you." he said to her before turning back to Kaiba. "Out of curiousity, how much did they ask for her?"

"Five grand." His matter-of-fact tone nearly made Yugi spit out his drink. "American."

"That much?"

"What are you talking about? That's nothing. Cheap whores charge that much."

"Still, it's a lot of money." Yugi sat heavily in the chair across from Kaiba, who looked at him as if he had absolutely zero understanding about the world.

"If it was me, I would charge five times as much for her. At least. I mean, green-eyed Japanese girls are pretty rare. They should fetch a higher price."

Yugi choked on his drink.

"Kaiba, why do you know this?"

The incredulous look settled on Seto's face once more.

"I read a lot?"

Yugi rolled his eyes at the answer.

"Tell me about her." Seto demanded.

"About Umi?"

"No, about Tea." Seto shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Of course about Umi."

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know, just anything."

Yugi thought a long moment.

"Everyone always loves Umi. It's like they are drawn to her. Until they realize how much of a dork she is."

"What do you mean?"

"Umi's not like most girls, not even in America. She loves video games, though she's terrible at them, and robots and computers and space. And she's really smart. Some say she's too smart for her own good."

Seto smirked at the phrase. It was one he knew well.

"She's lucky in that she found a bunch of people who were equally dorky."

"The robotics team." Seto stated. Yugi raised his eyebrows at him.

"What do you know about that?" he asked Kaiba, who shrugged. "Just how much do you know about her?"

"I know that she started robotics when she was twelve after being in dance for several years. I know she excels at computer assisted modeling and has even won awards for her work."

"If you can find all of that out, then why do you need me to tell you about her?"

"Because what I could learn with a few internet searches doesn't give me a full picture." He placed his glass on the table and crossed his arms and legs. "And I was bored."

"Oh." Yugi replied before leaning forward on this knees. "We could always play a game."

Seto smirked again. He was tempted. Perhaps something other than Duel Monsters would give him an edge.

"Care for a friendly duel, Kaiba?" Yugi's violet eyes were eager and hopeful. Seto narrowed his cerulean orbs slightly as he marveled at how easy his rival was to read at times, while being completely inscrutable at others.

"I stopped playing."

Yugi looked at him as if the world had ended.

"What? Why?"

"There is no point in it anymore. I can't beat you, so I decided to move on."

"But, Kaiba, you don't have to play to be the best. You can just play because it's fun to play." Yugi sighed. "Mokuba told me why you want to build your theme parks. He said that you wanted to show everyone that having fun is important, essential to living a good life. How can you do that for others if you cannot practice what you preach?"

Seto wrapped his hand around the locket that sat against his chest. The locket looked like a Duel Monsters card and within it, always close to his heart, was his greatest treasure.

"Mokuba should learn to keep his mouth shut." he muttered angrily. But he was not mad at Mokuba. He was mad at himself for letting Yugi get to him. Yugi looked at him with wide fearful eyes. Seto closed his eyes and released a long breath.

"The game wasn't fun anymore. It had not been fun in a long time. So I decided to move on, to turn my attention elsewhere."

"I guess I can understand that." Yugi stumbled through the thought. "So, if we won't duel, what should we do?"

"First, let's figure out a contingency plan for rescuing your sister. Then we should probably get some sleep before we land."

Yugi stood gawking as they entered the hotel. The exclusive club occupied much of the building but Kaiba had managed to snag the penthouse for the night.

"Stop staring." Seto murmured to him as he walked up to the reception desk.

"Mr. Kaiba," the manager greeted him. "I was surprised to see your name show up on the reservations list this morning. It's been a quite some time since you've stayed with us. What brings you to our humble hotel?"

"Business. It's always business."

"I see. And who is your associate?"

"This is Yugi Muto."

"Very well, Sir. Anything you need, please feel free to ask." The man said as he handed them each a key card.

"I will be having a visitor or two in a little while. Make sure they don't have any hassle on the way in."

"Of course, Sir."

Seto lead the way to the elevator. Yugi had to hurry to keep up. He kept getting distracted by all of the lush objects in the lobby. He had never seen a place quite so lavish. Even the elevator was ostentatious. Seto chuckled at his wide-eyed stare trying to take everything in. When the doors opened and they stepped into the lobby, Yugi was blown away. Seto pulled out his cell phone and called the number to arrange the final details of the meeting. Once he ended the call, Seto plopped onto the sofa.

"And now we wait." he said as Yugi pulled up a chair across from him.

"What if it's him who brings her?"

"The guy you met?" Yugi nodded.

"This will all be for nothing if he sees me. I doubt he would let the deal go through if he knew I was here."

"You're probably right. I doubt he would assume that you were here to... you know."

"Part of me hopes that is it him though." Yugi's eyes flashed dangerously. Seto recognized the look and the feeling behind it. He felt the same way anytime Mokuba went missing.

"Yugi, I know you want revenge, but remember the first goal is to get your sister to safety."

"I know that."

"After she's safe, wreak all the havoc you want."

Yugi's smile was sinister and dark. It brought back memories of their first duel and the penalty game Yugi had imposed upon him. A small part of Seto pitied the men who had hurt her. He, more than anyone in the world, knew what it was like to face the insanity in those eyes. It was terrifying, an experience he would not wish on his worst enemy. But these people were not human and deserved punishment for what they have done. A knock on the door sent Yugi scurrying to the bathroom. Seto took a deep breath as he pulled the door open. He was met with her paralyzing green eyes. He was frozen in her gaze. Only after the tall, burly man behind her prodded her through the door, did Seto regain his composure enough to move. She was dressed in the same styles he had seen on her shared images recently-all skin-tight and skimpy, with dark makeup that tried to make her seem older than she was. The man whistled in appreciation as he took in the room.

"You're the one interested in the doll, right?" He asked, his gaze traveling the luxurious penthouse suite. Seto could see that he regretted asking for so little.

"Yeah." Seto did his best to avoid her eyes lest he get caught in her gaze again. He glanced at the bathroom and saw Yugi peaking out from behind the door. Seto circled around her, scanning her. He felt a sense of disgust with himself, but he knew he had to play the part. "She'll do."

"Alright. Except that the price just went up." The burly man crossed his arms and fixed Seto with a confident stare. Seto's eyes narrowed. All three turned to the sound of a toilet flushing. Yugi, though not Yugi stepped out of the bathroom.

"I believe there was a verbal contract about price. You can't renegotiate it now." The Pharaoh said, crossing his arms and looking at the burly man. Umi looked from one man to the next as she stood in the line of fire from all of them.

"Who says?"

"That is, unless you want to play a game." A confident smile spread darkly across Yugi's face as the Pharaoh's power made the world shift. Seto grabbed Umi's arm and retreated to the bedroom.

"You don't want to see this." he whispered to her, as they sought refuge from the coming onslaught. She stumbled in her tall shoes and slammed into the bed as he practically threw her into the room and closed the door as the darkness closed in around Yugi and his prey.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes blazed as he turned toward her. Neferet buzzed nervously within her, saying something about the proximity of the shadows.

"I'm trying to protect you." He met her tone as her gaze captured him once more. Fire and lightning burned between them as they were drawn together in a kiss. Her hands pulled him toward her before tangling themselves in the hair at the back of his neck. His fingertips dug into her waist and pulled her hips closer to him as they tumbled onto the bed together.

"What kind of game did you have in mind? And what's the wager?" The burly man looked at Yugi, now fully possessed by the darkness the Pharaoh had suppressed for so long.

"Any game will do." Yugi laughed as a pistol materialized out of nowhere. "As for the wager... You win, he will pay you five times the agreed upon price."

"And if you win?"

"If I win, you die." The man's eyes grew wide as Yugi reached for the gun.

"Ten times." he said. Yugi looked at him and smiled as he put the weapon to his temple.

"Very well." Yugi pulled the trigger and then passed it to the man who had brought Umi to him. He took the weapon of shadow and light from the Pharaoh's hand. It was surprisingly heavy for having appeared out of nothing. His hand shook as he held it up to his own head, following the example of the Pharaoh. He pulled the trigger and nothing. Relief washed through him as he relinquished the weapon.

Yugi's mad grin only grew. He would not lose. And if for some reason he did, he would take this scum screaming into the darkness with him. But he would not lose, not yet, not now. He had other people to make pay first. He pulled the trigger and the gun clicked but did not fire.

"Three more chances." Yugi said as he handed the weapon to the man. The gun went off with a bang, but instead of firing a bullet of metal that tore through the man's flesh, the projectile of shadow ripped through his soul and shattered his mind. The man stiffened and fell over as if he were dead, but he still breathed and his heart still beat.

"What was that?" Umi asked, pulling her lips away from Seto's at the sound. She was breathless and her heart beat loudly in her ears. His lips grazed her neck as he sat up and looked toward the door, also curious about the sound from just outside.

"That was his vengeance." he told her softly, a tinge of curious fear in his voice.

She looked up at his strong angular features as he turned back to her. His lips were on hers almost immediately, as she brushed his cheek. The feel of him against her was thrilling in a way that she had only experienced in her dreams as Neferet showed her memories of the past. The spirit was also overcome by his presence. Umi felt whole, as if all of the dark places, the shadows and holes within her soul had been filled with a blinding light. The light shone through her, illuminating parts of her she had not realized were broken. The door opening made him jump away from her. Yugi stood silhouetted in the portal. He stood with his arms crossed as he looked at them.

"One down."

"How many to go?"

"I'm not sure."

Umi looked at her brother. The young man that stood before her looked like Yugi, but he felt so different in her mind. As she watched, he changed, transforming back into his normal self. Umi scurried from Seto's arms and slipped off the edge of the bed before launching herself at her brother.

"Yugi." She cried as she threw her arms around his neck. She embraced him body and soul as she bared her shame and sadness to him. Yugi looked questioningly at Seto, who shrunk from his gaze.

"Everything's going to be fine. We're going to get you out of this." The darkness had fallen away from her sense of him, and his light filled the cracks that had formed in her spirit. Yugi's light was like a warm glowing candle that brightened the night. It touched her, comforted her, but did little to illuminate the deeper recesses and the dark places where Neferet always hid when he was near. She peeked around him into the other room. The man who had brought her to them laid unmoving on the floor.

"Is he dead?" she asked quietly. Seto closed the door behind Yugi, sealing them in the room.

"No, but he will wish he was." Seto muttered, his eyes catching hers once more. She swallowed hard as he looked at her. His gaze was hard and unforgiving before it softened with uncertainty and he turned away. Umi felt her heartbeat quicken and the stirring of Neferet's desires in addition to her own. She pulled out of Yugi's embrace.

"So, now what?" She asked, looking between the two men. Yugi and Seto looked at each other.

"Where's Derek?" Yugi asked as he turned back to Umi. She took a step back when she saw the venom in his eyes.

"He's probably at home maybe? or the University." She guessed. "Why?"

"He hurt you. He deserves to pay."

"Yugi." She felt the darkness swelling within him and could see the spirit of the puzzle taking over. Neferet shrank back from his presence.

"Don't tell me that he didn't, Umi. I know he did. I could feel it every time he forced his will upon you. Even now, I can feel your anger and your shame. This cannot stand. He must suffer the consequences."

Umi felt the rage pouring through the darkness and understood Neferet's fear for the first time. Before the darkness would blot out Yugi's light, but now it was as if her brother had embraced the darkness and used it just as Neferet's husband had.

"Yugi, you're scaring me."

Yugi shook his head as he fought to control his anger.

"I'm sorry." he whispered as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Regardless, Yugi is right. If this Derek is the one to get you into this situation, it is something that needs to be dealt with. You may not be safe otherwise." Seto leaned against the door. Umi shook her head

"It wasn't his doing alone."

"Who else?" Yugi demanded.

"You don't understand. I'm just as at fault. If I had fought him, if I was stronger..." She felt tears rising in her eyes as a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her.

"Shh." Seto's deep voice rumbled, vibrating against her back and throughout her soul. "Nothing of this is your fault. They took advantage of you, used you for their own ends, used your desires against you. You cannot blame yourself." Umi sank into him, letting his voice wash over her. Her eyes slid shut as she felt him in the deepest parts of her soul. His embrace was like nothing she had experienced before. "Do you understand?" She nodded.

"Kaiba's right. You can't fault yourself. You were so torn up after Mother died. You were vulnerable. Derek's job as your guardian was to protect you and he did not." Yugi said reassuringly from the bed. She opened her eyes to look at him, but she did not want to leave the warmth of Seto's grasp. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes, smearing her hands with dark eye makeup. Seto rubbed her arms gently and rested his chin on her head. Yugi watched the pair with great concern and a twinge of jealousy.

"Umi, do you want to clean up or change or anything?" he suggested as his unease over the pair's familiarity with each other grew.

"Hum? Yeah, that would probably be for the best." She reluctantly pulled away from Seto's touch. He was reluctant to let her go, reaching out so that his fingers brushed her skin as long as possible and grasping at her hand. She turned to him as he held her. He held her gaze for a moment before letting go. Her smile was faint as she turned from him. Yugi showed her the few things that they had picked up, including a change of clothes. She hugged her brother gratefully, but her eyes were locked on Seto's as she shut the door to the bathroom.

Yugi pushed Seto out of the bedroom before closing the door behind him.

"What is wrong with you?" the shorter young man demanded.

"I don't know." Kaiba admitted. He ran his hands through his hair as he landed heavily on a settee. He kicked at the comatose man with the toe of his boot.

"You're not planning on screwing my sister are you?"

"What? No! Well, I'm not planning on it."

"But you want to." Yugi's eyes were lazer sharp. Seto sighed exasperatedly.

"You said yourself she had that kind of effect on people. So what do you think?"

"After all she's been through and you just want to..."

"No. I might want to, but I will never hurt her like that. I would never force her to do anything against her will." Seto cut him off. The definitiveness of his statement took Yugi aback. He stared at Kaiba in shock feeling that there was more to it than Kaiba was sharing. When what he said dawned on him, Seto shrank back from Yugi's gaze embarrassed.

"Kaiba." Yugi reached out for him, but Seto shook him off.

"I remember, Yugi. Finally, I remember meeting her. Or at least, I think I do. It is still hazy at times, like a dream, but I can see her face watching the duel in wonder as the tiny monsters came to life on the table. I remember her asking about how it worked. I remember thinking she was beautiful when I first saw her in the lobby, but it was her questions that drew me in, her curious and intelligent mind. I could see it in her eyes as she tried to figure out how everything worked. And I knew then." He turned to face Yugi. "I'm going to marry her someday, Yugi." They stared at each other for a long moment-locked in yet another game-before Yugi looked away.

"We'll see."

Seto smirked as he turned his attention back to the man lying on the floor.

"What are we going to do about him?" Seto toed him once more. Yugi shrugged.

"Leave him there for housekeeping to find?" Yugi suggested.

"Just what did you do to him?"

"I made him think he shot himself." was the matter-of-fact reply. Seto looked at the remorseless face of his rival, realizing that Yugi was not as soft-hearted as he often led others to believe. He looked back at the corpse that was not a corpse. The twinge of pity flickered through him once more as he remembered his own experiences with Yugi's games of darkness.

"For all of your talk about friendship and the heart of the cards, you can certainly be a ruthless son of a bitch."

"I guess it takes one to know one, Kaiba."

Seto chuckled. Yugi's attention was drawn to the door that had just opened. Seto turned to follow his gaze. He felt his color rise as he saw her. He looked away self-consciously as he chewed on his lip and wiped his nose. He did want her, he would not deny that. The question of whether he would have forced her or not tickled his mind. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but somehow he found himself even more drawn to her. She looked more like herself now. She was more relaxed as she sat next to him. She smiled up at him and all he could think about was her lips on his. She looked down at the man on the floor and frowned, breaking her spell on him. She stood up and stomped on his crotch. The man did not react, which enraged her. She kept kicking and yelling, detailing everything he had done to her, or had been done to her at his bidding. Yugi grabbed her and pulled her away from him.

"He won't feel any of it, Umi. As far as he knows, he is dead. Or trapped in the moment of death of all eternity."

"He was the boss. Derek was simply my keeper. At least that's how it was recently, after he sold me to him. But it was him that orchestrated everything recently." Her voice was filled with anguish as she explained.

"Did Derek ever touch you?" Seto asked.

"All the time. Every morning and night. Sometimes throughout the day. If I wasn't a good girl, he threatened to have me deported, or to take away what little freedom I had."

"And then he sold you."

She nodded.

"We have to go get him, Kaiba." Yugi exclaimed.

Seto looked from Yugi to his sister and back. He could see that they were both united in their desire for revenge. He sighed.

"We should really get going. We don't want to attract too much negative attention." Seto said, looking at the catatonic figure.

"I have to go home, Seto." His name rolled easily off of her tongue but the sound of it was so strange in his ears. He sort of liked it, and how forward she was with using it.

"Why?"

"I'm afraid of what he might do. I can't leave Mom's ashes there with him."

Seto rubbed his eyes.

"Fine. But just a quick stop to pick them up."

"And I'd like to say goodbye to my friends." Umi looked at him, her eyes pleading. "I know we need to leave quickly, but I may never see them again." Everything in his mind screamed at him to tell her no, but he heard himself consent to her request. The smile she gave him was enough to convince him that she was right. Yugi sighed in disgust.

"Come on then." He headed for the door, hoping they would get the hint.

When they stopped at the house, Derek was not home. Umi thought it was strange because he did not have much of a social life. Given the relative peace, Umi decided to also pack up several boxes of her mother's things, a couple of bags of her own, the copies of her mother's will and other important paperwork in addition to her mother's urn. She was taking it from the mantle where it had sat since they had brought it home when Derek walked in.

"What is going on here?" he demanded as he saw the trio in the living room. Umi handed the ceramic vessel to her brother before she turned on her keeper.

"I am leaving." she said definitively.

"You can't. What about all of your plans for the future? College?"

"What about them? How am I supposed to achieve all of that if you are whoring me out?" She launched herself at him, kicking and throwing ineffectual punches. She backed him into a corner with the onslaught, her righteous fury erupted in guttural screams. Seto pulled her off of the man cowering in the corner.

"Let Yugi handle this." he whispered to her as he wrapped her in his arms. She buried her face against his chest as her brother looked down on the wretch of a man.

"Let's play a game, Derek."

"Yugi, listen, I loved your mother. And I love your sister." Derek scrambled to explain himself as the shadows enveloped the room.

Umi clung more tightly to Seto as they too were surrounded. Neferet's fear tingled in the back of her soul, but as they were shrouded in the shadowy mists, Umi called the spirit out from her hiding spot. Neferet's fear was lessened as she reached out through Umi and looked into Seto Kaiba's eyes. They were cold, like empty space waiting to be filled with the light of creation. Neferet moved through Umi as she reached up and brushed his cheek. She gasped as she saw the spitting image of the priest she had so loved in life, her twin flame, the one whose heart sang in unison with hers. She kissed him lightly and felt herself swell with the power of creation itself.

"What do you know of love? You abuse the power of love." Yugi said, somehow seeming taller than the old man who normally would physically tower above him.

Neferet-Umi watched the man that appeared to be their brother as he spoke to his victim.

"This is not my brother." Neferet said. "Nor yours. Not entirely." Umi felt it was true. Something had happened that had changed the both of them, had joined them in such a way as to create something new. Just as now, the bonds between Neferet and Umi seemed to tighten, so that neither was fully separate from the other.

"But I did love them." The man was practically crying.

"If your heart is pure, then a little game should be simple. You just have to follow the rules and win. If you do, I'll even let you say goodbye to Umi however you see fit."

"Yugi!" she called from the safety of Seto's arms.

"He won't lose." Seto whispered to her.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. I doubt he can follow even simple rules." Yugi looked at his sister over his shoulders.

"We should finish packing the car." Seto suggested as he tried to pull her from the shadows, but the darkness was like a wall surrounding them.

"And if I lose?" he looked up at Yugi. "It sounds as if you are taking her anyway, so what happens if I lose?"

"If you simply lose, nothing happens. We take Umi and you forget all of this ever happened. Our mother's estate, or what's left of it, will revert to use when we turn eighteen regardless."

"And if I break the rules?" Derek asked nervously. His voice cracked in fear. Yugi smiled a twisted, sinister smile.

"That's when it gets fun. Can you follow the rules, Derek? or will you be subjected to a penalty game?" Yugi locked eyes with his prey, daring him to decline the challenge. Umi backed further into the limited security of Seto's embrace. She turned her head into his chest to avoid watching. Seto pulled her more tightly to him, protectively. Derek looked at her and the young man comforting her. His eyes blazed with anger and jealousy when he met Yugi's gaze once more.

"Alright. What are the rules?"

A deck of cards appeared on the table in the center of the room. Yugi knelt on one side of the table and motioned for Derek to take the other side.

"Simple. We alternate to draw three cards. We can place them however we like them, but we cannot look at them. To win, the cards must be in numerical order."

"That's it?"

"Indeed."

"Sounds more like luck than any sort of game. You wish to gamble so easily with your sister's honor?"

Yugi smirked.

"You want to shuffle? Or should I?"

Derek put his hand on the deck and began shuffling the cards. Yugi watched him intently, his lips turning up in a dark smile.

"Game's begun." he announced as Derek placed the deck back on the table. Derek smiled confidently as he drew his first card and placed it in front of him. Yugi's eyes never wavered from the older man as he drew his card and placed it. Derek drew his second card, lifting the corner slightly.

"Umi, you will be mine one last time." he leered at her.

"I will not!" she yelled back, drawing Yugi's attention. By the time Yugi turned back to the game, Derek had placed his second card.

"Your turn." His confident smile widened as Yugi drew his second card and placed it to the right of the first.

Derek drew his third and final card, sneaking a stealthy peek at it before placing it before him and crossing his arms.

Yugi laughed as he drew and placed his last card to the left of his first.

"You lose, Derek."

"I beg to differ." He turned over his cards, showing the perfect ordering of Jack, Queen, and King.

"You broke the rule." Yugi explained as he turned over three Aces.

"I did not."

"You looked at your cards." Yugi grabbed him from across the table. "You will never touch her again. You will never touch anyone again. Your heart will wither, your desire will turn to dust. But the memories of the pain you caused her will haunt you. Umi, come here."

Yugi turned to her, his grip still tight on Derek's shirt. His eyes burned into her with a fire that Umi had never seen in her brother before. She had to remind herself that this was not her brother, not entirely as she took a step forward. She held tightly to Seto's hand as she reached out for Yugi. They both lurched forward as Yugi grabbed her palm and placed it on Derek's head. She felt all of her rage and sadness, pain and shame over what had happened, what he had done to her, flowing through her. She cried out as she relived it all in rapid succession, but it stopped as suddenly as it had started. When she pulled her hand away and was once more wrapped in Seto's arms, she saw the look of horror and excruciating pain on Derek's face as tears streamed from his eyes. He curled whimpering into a ball as the shadows faded from view. Umi watched him curiously, but with no compassion or sympathy. Yugi stood over him, the light of anger draining from his eyes as the power retreated.

"We should hurry." He said, turning finally to his sister. "You have everything?"

She nodded, and the trio quickly packed the waiting vehicle and left her mother's home forever.